The present invention relates generally to blankets and seat coverings. Stated more particularly, this patent discloses and protects a travel wrap comprising a combined seat cover and blanket for ensuring a sanitary seating arrangement while providing a seat occupant with access to the warmth, comfort, and privacy of a blanket.
Seats in airplanes, buses, trains, and other vehicles must be used by countless travelers, typically unknown to one another, over a life span of perhaps many years. Similarly, business employees often must share a given seat with one or more coworkers, predecessors, or other seat occupants whose cleanliness, health, and tidiness are not necessarily certain. In these and other circumstances where multiple persons must use a single seat over time, the sanitary conditions of the seat cannot be ensured.
One will also be aware that there are many circumstances where a seat occupant will desire the warmth, comfort, and privacy that can be afforded by a blanket. This is particularly true for the traveling public for whom multiple idle hours in a given seat often leave the seat occupant with a desire to wrap him or herself in a blanket to allow a nap or simply some warmth, comfort, and privacy. Of course, numerous other seat occupants will have similar needs and desires.
It will be noted, of course, that the prior art has disclosed a plurality of arrangements for covering a seat. For example, a number of prior art arrangements can be employed in a multi-function format, such as in the form of a cover for a car seat and in an alternative application, such as in the form of a garment or a towel. Other prior art arrangements provide protective seat covers formed of polymeric films that can be clung temporarily to a seat and disposed of after a given period of usage. Still other arrangements are known wherein a particularly crafted seat covering can be removed and replaced relative to a seat structure to allow for cleaning, repair, and replacement of the seat covering.
Nonetheless, there does not appear to be any arrangement in the prior art that can satisfactorily provide a removable and replaceable covering that can be applied to a variety of seat structures to supply a comfortable, sanitary covering therefor while also supplying a seat occupant with access to a blanket when desired. With that in mind, it will be appreciated that the provision of a seat cover that can be used by travelers, office workers, and other seat occupants would be advantageous. It will be further appreciated that those same persons would also be well served by an invention that could provide them with a blanket when necessary or desirable. It is clearer still that an invention that could simultaneously provide a user with a comfortable, readily accessible blanket while also providing a reliable covering for a seat structure would represent a useful advance in the art.
Advantageously, the present invention is founded on the most basic object of providing a travel wrap comprising a combined seat cover and blanket that meets the needs left by the prior art while providing a number of further advantages thereover.
A more particular object of the invention is to provide a travel wrap that can be readily removed and replaced relative to a seating structure thereby enabling travelers, office workers, and other seat occupants to shield themselves from a seat of potentially unknown sanitary condition.
A further particular object of the invention is to provide a travel wrap that can be employed as a blanket thereby providing a seat occupant with access to warmth, comfort, and privacy.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a travel wrap that can be comfortably applied to seat structures of a wide variety of types.
An even further object of the invention is to provide a travel wrap that can allow a seat occupant to wear a fastened seat belt both while the travel wrap is disposed to provide the seat occupant with a blanket and while the travel wrap is in a non-blanketed configuration.
In particular embodiments, a further object of the invention is to provide such a travel wrap that can enable a fastened seat belt to be disposed outside of a blanket enclosure thereby enabling visual verification of the fastened status of the seat belt. These and further objects and advantages of the invention will become obvious not only to one who reviews the present specification and drawings but also to one who has an opportunity to make use of an embodiment of the present invention for a travel wrap. However, it will be appreciated that, although the accomplishment of each of the foregoing objects in a single embodiment of the invention may be possible and indeed preferred, not all embodiments will seek or need to accomplish each and every potential object and advantage. Nonetheless, all such embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention.
In carrying forth these and further objects, a most basic embodiment of the travel wrap can be applied easily to a seat structure to provide a seat occupant with access to a blanketing enclosure and to provide a sanitary covering for the seat structure. The travel wrap can include a central portion of cloth material for overlying at least a portion of the seat structure. A first wing member of cloth material can be coupled to a first side of the central portion, and a second wing member of cloth material can be coupled to a second side of the central portion. A means for retaining an upper distal end of the central portion relative to the seat back can assist in retaining the travel wrap relative to the seat structure. Under this arrangement, the travel wrap can be employed in a non-blanketed configuration with the first and second wing members not blanketing the seat occupant and the travel wrap can be employed in a blanketed configuration with the first and second wing members blanketing the seat occupant.
In certain embodiments, a first aperture can be disposed adjacent to the first side of the central portion and a second aperture can be disposed adjacent to the second side of the central portion. With that, a first seat belt strap of a seat belt arrangement can be passed through the first aperture and a second seat belt strap can be passed through the second aperture such that the seat belt arrangement can be fastened about the seat occupant. The central portion can include a back panel member for overlying the seat back and a seat panel member for overlying the seat bottom, and the first and second apertures can be disposed adjacent to a lower end of the back panel member adjacent to the intersection between the back panel member and the seat panel member. Of course, although they could be formed separately and joined together, the back panel member and the seat panel member, and indeed the first and second wing members as well, can be crafted from a single piece of cloth. In any case, the first and second wing members can in certain embodiments extend beyond a distal end of the seat panel member while an upper end of the back panel member can extend beyond the first and second wing members.
Where necessary or desirable, a fin can be coupled to the central portion adjacent to the intersection between the back panel member and the seat panel member such that it can be pressed into place between the seat back and the seat bottom to retain the travel wrap relative to the seat structure most effectively. The fin can have a widened distal portion, which can be formed by a bar or the like, for better retaining it relative to the seat structure.
Where it may be necessary or desirable to ensure that the fastening status of the seat belt arrangement remain independently verifiable, third and fourth apertures can be disposed in the first and second wing members spaced a given lateral distance from the first and second apertures respectively. With that, the first seat belt strap can be threaded first through the first aperture and then through the third aperture and the second seat belt strap can be threaded first through the second aperture and then through the fourth aperture. When the first and second seat belt straps are so threaded, the seat occupant can be blanketed by the first and second wing members and the fastening status of the seat belt arrangement can remain independently verifiable.
The means for retaining the upper distal end of the central portion relative to the seat back can take the form of a cap portion with a first pocket capable of receiving an upper end of the seat back, and, in certain cases, the first pocket can be supplemented by a second pocket with the pockets disposed to opposite faces of the central portion. Under such an arrangement, the travel wrap can be reversibly applied to the seat structure. In some embodiments, a pillow can be associated with one face of the central portion. Where two pockets and a pillow are provided, the seat occupant can advantageously select whether to have the pillow interposed between him or herself and the seat structure or not by employing either the first pocket or the second pocket to have either a first face or a second face of the travel wrap face him or her. In any case, either or both of the pockets can be formed from or incorporate an elastic material for accommodating the upper end of the seat back.
The travel wrap can be disposed and maintained in a packed configuration with the use of a strap or straps that retain some or all of the travel wrap within the pocket or pockets. Where only one pocket is provided, the strap or straps can be fixed, for example, adjacent to the second pocket. The first and second wings can then be folded upon the central portion and then the joined arrangement can be rolled or folded and pressed into a pocket. Then, the strap or straps can be tied off to retain the travel wrap in the packed configuration for storage and transport.
One will appreciate that the foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventors"" contribution to the art. Before an embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction, descriptions of geometry, and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention.